It's not going to Bahamas. Gulf Copper bought the drydock somewhere in south america (i think) and I guess they are refurbishing the drydock in Bahamas. The drydock is coming to Gulf Copper's shipyard in Galveston and the work to Texas will be done there.
Easier to maintain to a degree. Still going to have corrosion and structural concerns. Loading is much more concentrated sitting on blocks than floating, which means more stress on the hull. Also need to have a pumping system to keep the basin dry. Finally, that's a considerable amount of land that has to be dedicated, and quite a lot on construction investment. Concrete under a drydock in tens of feet thick. Further, a fully relieved graving dock requires continual pumping of the drainage galleries to deal with intrusion - otherwise buoyancy will cause severe damage to the dock surprisingly quickly. Much easier to do for a smaller vessel like Albacore.When I was down there in 2017 ir had a good amount of list to it and some of the lower decks were closed.
Honestly I think it would be cool to just dry dock it permanently so people can see what the hull looks like. And make it easier to maintain. I know they tout it being battle ready but it’s a floating museum. It won’t make it out of berth on its own power ever again.
i’ve talked to the head of the Battleship Texas Foundation on several occasions, as i understand the goal is a dry berth of some type after it gets patched up. They haven’t announced the final location, if they e even decided yet, but i’m putting my money on Galveston Harbor. It won’t be going back to the San Jacinto Battleground where it’s been up until now. I’m really hoping to get to do some more of the hard hat tours once the restoration is over,if my knees and ankles hold up that long..When I was down there in 2017 ir had a good amount of list to it and some of the lower decks were closed.
Honestly I think it would be cool to just dry dock it permanently so people can see what the hull looks like. And make it easier to maintain. I know they tout it being battle ready but it’s a floating museum. It won’t make it out of berth on its own power ever again.
Easier to maintain to a degree. Still going to have corrosion and structural concerns. Loading is much more concentrated sitting on blocks than floating, which means more stress on the hull. Also need to have a pumping system to keep the basin dry. Finally, that's a considerable amount of land that has to be dedicated, and quite a lot on construction investment. Concrete under a drydock in tens of feet thick. Further, a fully relieved graving dock requires continual pumping of the drainage galleries to deal with intrusion - otherwise buoyancy will cause severe damage to the dock surprisingly quickly. Much easier to do for a smaller vessel like Albacore.
When they parked the submarine in the yard near the USS Alabama, they cut a canal, built a levee to block it off, and raised the sub by pumping water into the new lake. From there, they shored it up, drained the lake, and opened it for tours a few hundred feet away from the bay.
Way smaller scale, but just another way they could do it without it being in a dry dock I guess.
It's not going to Bahamas. Gulf Copper bought the drydock somewhere in south america (i think) and I guess they are refurbishing the drydock in Bahamas. The drydock is coming to Gulf Copper's shipyard in Galveston and the work to Texas will be done there.
Can't wait to see it towed to Galveston. I hope I can find a good spot to watch it float by.
When they parked the submarine in the yard near the USS Alabama, they cut a canal, built a levee to block it off, and raised the sub by pumping water into the new lake. From there, they shored it up, drained the lake, and opened it for tours a few hundred feet away from the bay.
Way smaller scale, but just another way they could do it without it being in a dry dock I guess.
I thought there were some "on borrowed time" rust issues with a lot of the frames that need to be repaired and were the primary reason for the drydock getting done right now vs years from now.Has anyone seen a good rundown of what they are doing in drydock besides patching holes and restoration of equipment?
I thought there were some "on borrowed time" rust issues with a lot of the frames that need to be repaired and were the primary reason for the drydock getting done right now vs years from now.